We have an oligarchy ruling our country. We have to oppose the Koch Brothers and Carl Rove and their minions like Thom Tillis. Under Speaker Tillis there was an income transfer from the typical and lower level taxpayers to the top 1% of NC taxpayers. Republicans are disdainful of any transfer from the wealthy to the poor, but they supported in NC a 660 million Dollar transfer of tax money-- our dollars--to the Oligarchy of the 1%. I can think of dozens of better uses for that money for the majority of North Carolina's citizens.

The Carolina Journal report expands on the Politico story, noting that the JDC originally projected spending $438,627 but was later revised downward by more than $100,000 and emphasizing the company "kept all of the savings, sending none back to taxpayers who had funded the stimulus grant."

However, an internal accounting of the project provided to WRAL News by JDC Manufacturing shows that that the project's final costs totaled $503,477. A company spokeswoman said the official project cost was revised downward to show the money actually spent by Dec. 31, 2010, the end of the grant's term. The rest of the money was spent in 2011, and those costs were not eligible to be reimbursed. Other records disclosed by the Energy Division show the total cost of the JDC project inching up to roughly $509,000 over two years, confirming the accounting provided by the company.

And it's a good bet the "researchers" at Art Pope's propaganda-laced "newspaper" were well aware of the total cost of the project, but chose to exclude that information from their report, because it would have completely negated their "pocketed $100,000 of taxpayer's money" smoking gun revelation.

NC House members Tim Moffit and Tom Murry received campaign contributions from two South Carolina men who have since been indicted on charges of illegal gambling and money laundering totalling $386 million.

The campaign committee of Tom Murry, NC House District 41, received a $2,000 check from J Michael Caldwell of South Carolina, listed as "President" of a company simply stated as "Gateway", on 1/29/2013, one day before the North Carolina State House reconvened (after a 1/9/2013 organizational session). On the same day, 1/29/2013, the campaign committee of Tim Moffitt, NC House District 116, received a $2,000 check from Bobby Mosley of South Carolina, listed only as "Principal" with no employer notation. Caldwell is Mosley's son-in-law and together they ran a gambling enterprise spanning multiple corporate entities and over 600 internet cafes in multiple states.

On 8/14/2013 an indictment was entered in federal court in South Carolina naming J Michael Caldwell, Bobby Mosley, Sr., Gateway Systems, LLC, Gateway Gaming, LLC, Frontier Software Systems, LLC and Frontier Gaming, Inc, as defendants on one count of conducting an illegal gambling business and one count of money laundering related to the alleged illegal gambling. It has been described as "the biggest gambling ring bust in South Carolina history."

North Carolina will miss $51 billion in federal payments over the next decade unless lawmakers expand Medicaid under Obamacare, according to a new report. Hospitals in the state would get $11.3 billion of that amount under an expanded system, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute say. The report comes as hospitals across the nation are laying off workers. The health care sector cut 52,638 jobs nationally last year, making it second only to the financial industry in layoffs.

House Speaker Thom Tillis often wears an Autism Speaks pin and supported legislation this year that would require insurers cover certain treatment for autism disorders. The measure got tied up in the Senate and didn't become law, but that's not stopping Carolina Rising from running two ads thanking Tillis for his support.

The North Carolina-based group is run by Dallas Woodhouse, the former state director of Americans for Prosperity. It is a tax-exempt nonprofit that is not required to disclose its donors. According to Carolina Rising it is spending $2 million on the TV ads.

The only thing "rising" is the bile in my throat. Again, a regulatory system that would allow this kind of dark money to be spent is no regulatory system at all.

As corporate-carpetbagger friendly as the NCGOP has made North Carolina since taking control of the legislature in 2010, they keep surprising. This latest revelation Monday from North Carolina echoes the billion-dollar, Hudson Lights real estate deal thought connected to Gov. Chris Christie's Bridgegate scandal. WCNC-Charlotte has video here.

CAMPAIGN 2014Tillis donors could make millions from toll lanes (WCNC-TV) -- Toll lanes on I-77 – the DOT says they're coming – but many voters don't like them. A group of big time campaign contributors to Republican state House Speaker Thom Tillis stands to make millions from your tax dollars tied to the toll lanes. There have been protests and organized opposition from a group called Widen I-77 as well as from some local elected officials in Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mooresville. Thom Tillis supports the toll lanes. He has for years. In a May 2011 televised interview on Carolina Business Review, Tillis told interviewer Steve Crump, "I think we have to take a serious look at toll roads…we don't have enough money coming in for the needs we have." Now the NBC Charlotte I-Team has documented that a group of big time Tillis campaign contributors stands to make millions from your tax dollars tied to the toll lanes. This story all starts with a prime piece of Cornelius real estate called Augustalee.http://www.wcnc.com/story/traffic/2014/09/22/tillis-donors-could-make-millions-from-toll-lanes/16036733/

As a teacher, when someone gets something wrong, I correct it. So when I see these negative ads, talking about massive budget cuts and textbook shortages, that is incorrect. Thanks to the leadership of Governor McCrory and Speaker Thom Tillis, North Carolina has increased funding for public schools by a billion dollars.” Wilburn’s chiding is enough to make Democrats go stand in the corner. But in this case it’s the teacher who needs a time-out to go check her math.

The $1 billion increase Wilburn refers to is deeply misleading. Most of that spending includes state contributions to pension and health funds and salary adjustments. It’s not in any real world sense spending for the education of North Carolina’s public school students. In the real world, spending for education is down. Wilburn could have learned that by going to the financial officer for her own school district. There has been a slight increase in special education funding, but the overall funding for the 5,400-student Yadkin County school district is down.

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